Sporting News.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 968, 7 January 1882, Page 2

Sporting News.

THE COMING RACES AT TAU HERENIKAU.

Now that the Opaki, Waihenga, Featherston, and Castlepoint raoe meetings have been successfully got through, owners of .horses will be turning their attention to the programme provided by the Wairampa Jookey Club for their autumn meeting next month. There are fourteen eventß, seven being for decision on each'day, and eyory oare has been taken to make the meeting productive of bona fide racing, and acceptable to owners generally, Business commences on the first day with the Handicap Hurdle Race of 30 sovs,the distance being two miles. In electing to open proceedings with a jumping race, the Club are likely to suit the public taste, as these events are deoidedly popular' in the district, -and a secoii'd hurdle race gives owners of fencers two chances against one as formerly. The customary Hack Hurdle Race follows, weight iOnt, and then the three-' year-olds have the DisWot Derby of 75 govs, to oompste for, This has closed with 21 nominations, and so good a stake will doubtless attract most of those which are in training, and are engaged in it. Next on the card is a new race, called the Tauherenikau Stakes, a handicap of thereby placing it within the read) of many to whom the old-established weight for age,,2 miles, Wairarapa Stakes was a sealed book, When the Victorian Racing Club had to submit to a walkover for their weight-for-age 2-mile event last spring, our Jookey Club oan hardly be thought unwise in avoiding another uiv .interesting event such as Libeller caused last year. In the Tauherenikau Stakes the lowest weight is fixed at7st., and'this". in itself should make it a contest between our best horses.

The Blue. Riband for.the 2-yeav-plds is next in succession, and this, ..too,'is sure to be well thought oi, there being M to the winner, £lO. to to.tbe second, and the' third saving his .'stakes: : Already there are about 10 out of the 20 nominations irr active preparation, and ■• Mr Mo-Master is likely to have a very selebt field to ttieet him when he goes down to take oharge at ; thes.post. : : _-. _..: >,. V A KM Hack Race comes, next,.-and then the -District Handicap ujf- 50 bovb., The large, entries always received for this -half-oentui-yattho Club's autumn meeting makes it pi*6bably. the most pojmlar'event of the lot, last named the first' day's" racing- .closes, the.stakes'absorbmg the fair sum of £277., On ; the?Becpnd : ,day the. Hattdioap: Hurdles'oornei'first';foVl26 (t the distance: beinghalf-a-'iiileßhorteVtiiiiiHiiV'fiwtbne,' and then ft-handicap. for ha«Woy«r the

jumps precedes the big event of the meeting. The; Wairarapa Cup is 100 sovs., with £lO for the second, and £5 for the third, two miles, and a handicap, The nomination fee for this is only 1 bov, and many .owners are likely to nomicate in order to see in what estimation their horses are held for such company as will enter for the Cup!' 'V Another Handicap Hack Race of 10 sovs,-, on the flat, follows the Onp, and the 2-year-olds have their say again in the Nursery Handicap of 25 sovs, under conditions somewhat different from the Champagne Stakes on the first day The Grand Stand Handicap, 25 bovs.. one mile, is another innovation, as it supersedes the Railway Stakes, an event that never caused much lun. Last of .all comes the time-honored Consolation, of 20 sovs. The -added money on the second day amounts to 1215 making a total of £4*92 for the too days. ■'• .

In every race the nomination and acceptance fees,, are exceptionally low, and in raakiug this' concession to owners the Club 'is following out a rule recognised by all important clubs, that to have racing good and honest, make it as cheap as possible to those who show the sport. In almost every event, the socond hor66, and in others the third, have beeh ; thought of. A great deal may be said in favor of those who run their horses right out, and it is pleasing to observe that, their fair play is not allowed to go unnotioed" In recommending the Club to hold the. annual meeting later in February than usual, the Programme Committee wero iufluenoed by the fact that the few days which usually elapse between the Wellington meeting and our owt was not enough to give any horses racing at Wellington time to regain their true form. Another reason is that harvesting is over, and settlers generally are able to spare a couple of days without any inconvenience. Taken altogether, the programme for 1882 is as favorable alike for owners and good racing as it could well be, and with fine weather the Tauherenikau racecourse will be an unusually interesting spot when the autumn programme is being decided, TARATAHI-OARTERTON RACES.

One nomination was omitted from the list published yesterday, viz., MrF. G. Parkes' Fugitive in the Taratabi-Carter-ton Handicap. The nominations for these races are numerous, and a good day's sport should he witnessed on the 22nd. Fur the Hurdles the entries are all wellknown horses who have often tried their speed in company ; the six horses in the maiden plate are also familiar, and there will probably be a very close race between them, For the Handicap there are to teen horses most of them being known to have plenty of foot and some of them to bo cracks among local horses, but the Sapling Stakes should prove the most interesting event of all, as the youngsters engaged in it aro quite new to the turf, and some of them haye not even be.en tided privately. Mr Tancred has three gems to make their debut, and if their performance is as handsome as their looks, they will cut no mean figure in the. race. Mr James Macara'a Romp and Mr T. Ray's Lurlin e are spoken highly of, and the whole field of them (11) will be a pretty eight if they all go. The nominations altogether are very satisfactory, and a good meeting may be expected, as the course is so accessible to visitors from all parts, the train stopping near the gates,